Sterlite electric ties up with Spanish company for smart cable systems

New Delhi: Sterlite Electric has formed a joint venture with Spain-based RDT Lumiker to manufacture advanced cable monitoring systems, as surging electricity demand from AI, data centres and energy-intensive industries push utilities to adopt digital intelligence solutions for more resilient transmission networks, managing director Pratik Agarwal said.

As the expansion of AI and data centres drives a surge in electricity demand, digital intelligence solutions for power transmission networks are essential, said Agarwal, who is also chairman of Resonia.

The systems will integrate optical sensing, real-time monitoring and AI-driven diagnostics into high-voltage cable systems, enabling utilities to track asset performance and detect faults in real time.


The joint venture will target transmission operators, distribution utilities, renewable developers and industrial consumers, particularly segments such as data centres where downtime has high economic costs.

Manufacturing will begin with full utilisation of the existing facility of RDT in Bilbao, Spain in the initial months, while work proceeds in parallel to set up a new base in India at Sterlite Electric's upcoming Vadodara manufacturing unit. The plan is to scale up and progressively shift production to India as the Vadodara facility becomes operational, Agarwal said. The company plans to expand the product offering beyond India into Europe, the Middle East and North America, from the India facility targeting utilities looking to adopt predictive maintenance and optimise asset lifecycles as part of broader grid modernisation, he said.

The move comes amid rising electricity demand from data centres, global capability centres (GCCs), renewable energy projects and energy-intensive industries, increasing pressure on utilities to improve reliability and efficiency of transmission infrastructure.

Issues arising because of variation in demand and supply and curtailment of power exist because cabling systems and transmission systems don't have fundamental intelligence built inside, Agarwal said.

A high incidence of cable faults has made the situation critical, with many willing to adopt any solution that can reduce failures, improve fault detection and enable prediction. In comparison, the cost of implementing these monitoring systems is relatively modest.

Agarwal had earlier told ET that Sterlite Electric aims to double revenue to ₹12,000 crore by 2030.